Anne Boleyn

There might be some hidden irony in the events that led to the creation of the Church of England in the early sixteenth century and the events that are leading to its imminent demise in 2008.

King Henry VIII was married to Catherine of Aragon in Catholic England. He sought the annulment of his marriage in order to marry his lover, Anne Boleyn. Pope Clement VII refused. He then split from Rome and by the Act of Supremacy (1536) declared himself the head of a new church - The Church of England.

Looking in retrospect, it might be observed that a Church which was born out of a sexual affair could not live long. If a Church can be created because of a man's sexual preferences - even when that man is a king - that church can also be destroyed for the same reason. And this seems to be her fate now.

A man, actually a king, tried to put an end to his marriage to a woman. He did not succeed and a new church was born. Two men, actually both of them priests, tried to get married. They succeeded and the church died.